After 7th Year
by Hermione Lynn Granger
Summary: Ok, this has probably been done before. It's about what happens after graduation from Hogwarts. I may or may not continue it, it depends on the reviews. If I do continue, It'll be H/H romance later on.
1. Goodbye

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. They are property of J.K. Rowling. The song is "Good Riddance" by Green Day, also known as "Time of Your Life."  
  
Goodbye  
  
The train ride from Hogwarts had seemed like the shortest few hours of Hermione's life. And now it was over, and it was time to say goodbye to her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.  
  
"Well.goodbye. It's been fun," Ron said, turning to follow his brothers away. And it had been. Voldemort had been defeated in the middle of the year, or at least he had disappeared again, and most of the Death Eaters had been caught and put in Azkaban. The rest of the year had been quite normal. And they had all passed their N.E.W.T.s, Hermione with flying colors, of course. But now that was over, and they were going their separate ways.  
  
"Bye, Ron!" Harry and Hermione called after their friend.  
  
"I see my parents," Hermione said sadly.  
  
"Hermi, It's time to go!" Bryan, Hermione's 12 year old brother said, grabbing her wrist and trying to pull her away.  
  
"Bryan, wait!" she protested.  
  
  
  
Another turning point,  
  
A fork stuck in the road  
  
Time grabs you by the wrist  
  
Directs you were to go  
  
  
  
  
  
Hermione turned to Harry and on impulse threw her arms around him. "Goodbye, Harry. I'll miss you," she told him, tears flowing down her face.  
  
"Goodbye, Hermione. I'll miss you too. I hope the rest of your life is full of good times and happiness."  
  
"And I hope the same for you, Harry Potter," she told him, turning to let her brother drag her away.  
  
  
  
So make the best of this test  
  
And don't ask why  
  
It's not a question  
  
But a lesson learned in time  
  
  
  
Before walking through the barrier, or actually being dragged through it, Hermione turned and waved to Harry and was a bit surprised to see the tears in his eyes as he waved back at her. "I hope you had a great time while we were together," she whispered. "Goodbye."  
  
  
  
It's something unpredictable  
  
But in the end it's right  
  
I hope you had the time of your life  
  
  
  
Two Months Later  
  
"This one goes here..and this goes here.and this one," Hermione muttered to herself as she tried to decide where to put all her pictures from Hogwarts in her room. "This one.Wow! I remember when that was taken, right after the 6th year Yule Ball. Ron took Lavender, and Harry and I went together. That was so much fun." She trailed off as she looked at the picture of herself standing next to Harry.  
  
  
  
So take the photographs  
  
And still frames in your mind  
  
Hang them on a shelf in good health  
  
And good time  
  
  
  
Hermione sighed, put the picture on the shelf, and moved on to the next one. "Okay, next picture. This one can go here.and this,"  
  
"Hermi, come down here for a minute!" Hermione's mom called.  
  
"I'll be down in a minute, Mom!" Hermione replied, turning back to her photos. "Okay, this one can go here.and this.Oh, this was taken in 5th year! Colin took the picture of us in the hallway when Harry had his arm around me. Harry chased the poor kid around the first floor for a whole 20 minutes. That was so funny!"  
  
  
  
Tattoos of memories  
  
And dead skin on trial  
  
For what it's worth  
  
It was worth all the while  
  
  
  
"Hermione, get down here!" her mom called up to her again, pulling her away from her memories.  
  
"Coming!" Hermione called back, starting to get up. She looked back at all the pictures she had left to sort through and place and sat back down. "I'll go down in a minute," she promised herself. "I want to look at a few more of these first."  
  
  
  
It's something unpredictable  
  
But in the end it's right  
  
I hope you had the time of your life  
  
  
  
After about five minutes of looking at pictures, Hermione heard her mom call again.  
  
"Hermione Lynn Granger, get down here this instant!"  
  
"Coming, Mom!" Hermione yelled, jumping up and running down the stairs. "What is it, Mom?" she asked as she walked into the kitchen.  
  
"I think there's mail for you, Hermi," her mom answered, motioning to the window. Hermione turned and saw the snowy owl sitting on the windowsill. Tied to its leg was a letter. A letter from Harry.  
  
  
  
It's something unpredictable  
  
But in the end it's right  
  
I hope you had the time of your life  
  
  
  
  
  
*Well, what did you think? This is my first fanfic, so please go easy on me. Like I said, whether I continue this or not depends on what the people who review want me to do, so please review. If I continue it, it probably won't be a songfic, I just thought the ssong fit with the fic. 


	2. An Unexpected Invitation

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. They are property of J.K. Rowling.  
  
An Unexpected Invitation  
  
"Hedwig! Hello! Mom, do you remember Hedwig, Harry's owl?" Hermione asked, running over to open the window wider so that Hedwig could get in.  
  
"Of course I do, Hermi. We've had enough letters delivered by her over the years, I'd be crazy not to remember her." Mrs. Granger replied.  
  
"I'll go put her in with Athena," Hermione told her mom, heading up the stairs with Hedwig on her arm. When she reached her room, she gently untied the letter from Hedwig's leg and put her in the cage with her snowy owl, Athena. Athena had been a gift from her parents for being made Head Girl, and she and Hedwig had become best friends immediately. Now they settled in together right away. 'They probably have a lot to catch up on," Hermione thought with a smile. "Now to see about this letter," she muttered to herself as she slit it open and began reading.  
  
Dear Hermione,  
  
Hi! It's been a while since we saw each other last. I know it's only been two months, but it has felt like an eternity. I've missed you a lot, and I can't wait to see you again. You may wonder what I mean by that. Well, here's what I mean.  
  
As you might have guessed, this isn't just a "Let's talk about stuff" kind of letter. Professor Dumbledore had something he wanted to ask you, but he decided that it would be better if I asked you. You see, he's the head of a group of Aurors called the Underground Phoenix. You probably have heard of them, knowing how many books you've read. Well, like I said, he runs the group, and he wants you and I to become members! He actually thinks we're good enough to become Aurors. I want to say yes, but I won't until I know you're answer. So as soon as you get this, send me an answer with Hedwig, and you may want to send Athena to Dumbledore with you're answer as well. I'm looking forward to hearing from you, and if you decide to join, maybe even seeing you. Send you're answer soon.  
  
Best Wishes,  
  
Harry  
  
Hermione stared at the letter for a good three minutes, not entirely believing what she had just read. After the shock wore off, she felt a surge of excitement. "Mom! Mom! You'll never guess what happened!" she yelled, running down the stairs at full speed. "Well, actually nothing happened, but look at this!" She shoved the letter into her mother's hands and waited impatiently while she read it.  
  
"That's great, Hermione! Are you going to accept?" Mrs. Granger asked her daughter.  
  
"Ummm.yes. Yes, I am. It's just to good a chance to pass up," Hermione said, turning to walk back up the stairs. "I'm going to send Hedwig back to Harry with my answer right away."  
  
Back in her room, Hermione took the two owls out of the cage, got a quill and some parchment, and quickly wrote two letters, one to Dumbldore and one to Harry. She tied one letter to Athena's leg and the other to Hedwig's, released the two owls out the window, and watched them fly out of sight. Turning away from the window, she looked around her room and sighed. "I guess I should pack some things I'll need, like my wand and some books." She smiled. "Oh, great! Now I have to repack those pictures! Oh, well." Hermione turned back to the window as she wondered when the response to her answer would come. She hoped it would come soon.  
  
  
  
*Ok, there's the second chapter. I know that this one was kind of short, but I hope you liked it! Like before, I'll continue if people who review want me to. By the way, I don't own the idea of the Underground Phoenix. I got the name from a fanfic I read a long time ago, and it was the first name I remembered and the only good one I could think of. I really hope that whoever thought it up doesn't mind me using the idea. Thanks for reading this, and please review! Thanks to all the people who reviewed my last chapter:  
  
Isis: I don't think I spelled anything wrong last chapter or this chapter. If I did, blame my computer's spell-check program.  
  
Draco's Princess: I know that wasn't very "fluffy," but don't give up on me yet. I'm a major H/H fan, so there will be romance if I continue.  
  
Mylanaus: Thanks for the good review; I'm glad you liked the fic. Like I said, fluff comes later on.  
  
Satan's Little Princess: Glad you liked it. You had me a bit worried for a second, there.  
  
Hermione Potter: Now you know what happens next! I hope you liked the continuation.  
  
I appreciate all these reviews, and hope to keep getting good ones. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any, even though I can't say I'll use every suggestion I get. Thanks again for the great reviews! 


	3. Return to Hogwarts

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Is it really necessary to put one of these disclaimer things every chapter?  
  
Return to Hogwarts  
  
"Hermione, wake up! It's time for breakfast!" Mrs. Granger called up the stairs to her daughter.  
  
"Be right down, Mom!" Hermione called back as she tried to figure out how to fit her copy of "Hogwarts, A History" into her already packed trunk. She was going to Platform 9 ¾ that afternoon to meet Harry. From there they would catch the train to Hogwarts to meet Professor Dumbledore. "Let's see, if I take these books out and put them in my backpack, then I can probably make this fit…yes, that works!" She said triumphantly as she managed to fit the large book into her trunk.  
  
"Hermi! Come down and eat breakfast! We're not leaving 'till you eat, and if you don't hurry we'll be late!" Mr. Granger yelled.  
  
"Coming, Dad!" Hermione called, grabbing Crookshanks and running out of her room and down the stairs. She ran into the kitchen, almost colliding with her mom who was leaving the room.  
  
"Whoa, Hermi, slow down!" her mom said, quickly dodging out of the way. "You could hurt someone running like that. Like me, for example."  
  
"Sorry mom. I guess I'm in a bit of a hurry."  
  
"A bit? I think it's a little more than a bit," her dad said as he put a plate of pancakes on the table.  
  
"Ok, so I'm in a big hurry." Hermione smiled as she put Crookshanks down and sat in her chair at the table and poured syrup on her pancakes. "But, hey, can you blame me?"  
  
"No, Hermi, I guess we can't," her mom said, smiling. "Eat your breakfast and then we'll be on our way."  
  
One hour later, though to Hermione it seemed more like one hundred, she stood at station 9 ¾, looking around anxiously for Harry. "Oh…where is he? What if the Dursleys wouldn't bring him?" She muttered to herself. "And why am I so worried?"  
  
"Hermi! Over here!" a familiar voice called.  
  
"Harry!" Without really thinking about what she was doing, she ran over and wrapped her friend in a hug. "What took you so long? I was worried that the Dursleys wouldn't bring you."  
  
Harry grinned and hugged her back. "Well, they didn't want to, but I managed to convince them." He smiled slyly. "I just told them that they would be getting rid of me for at least a year. They jumped at the chance."  
  
"Interesting solution, but, you know, whatever works!" Hermione said, grinning at him. "So, let's go. The train's all set to leave, we were just waiting for you."  
  
They sat in what had been their usual spot and talked about things like what they had done since they were last together and what being an Auror might be like. This time, the few hours seemed very short, and they reached Hogwarts in what only seemed like a few minutes.  
  
Professor Dumbledore met them as they got off the train. They walked through the grounds together, and soon reached the school entrance.  
  
"Welcome back, you two. You will be staying in Gryffindor tower, just like when you came to school here the password is 'Dragonfire'. Go on up, and come down to the Great Hall for dinner. I'll explain everything then," Dumbledore told them.  
  
They quickly dragged their trunks up to the tower, greeted the Fat Lady portrait, told her the password, and walked into the tower.  
  
"Wow. Nothing's changed," Hermione muttered to herself.  
  
"Well, Hermi, welcome home. Or, at least, to a temporary home," Harry said with a smile.  
  
*Ok, that took a while. I know. First I had mid-term exams, then I went to Florida for New Years, and then I had writers block. Sorry. But, anyways. Thanks for reading, please review. Suggestions are welcome, though I may not use them all. Thanks to all those who did review my last chapter. Bye for now! 


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